Attempted murder suspect pleads guilty to unrelated charges

A young St. John’s man accused of attempting to kill someone with a baseball bat is pleading guilty to charges stemming from a couple of less-serious incidents.

Brandon (a.k.a. Brendon) Christopher Tobin ducks to avoid reporters’ cameras as he is led into Courtroom No. 7 at provincial court in St. John’s. — Photo by Rosie Mullaley/The Telegram

However, when it comes to dealing with the six charges Brandon Christopher Tobin is facing in relation to attacks against two men in April, defence lawyer Mary Boulos told provincial court Judge Mike Madden Wednesday morning she needs more time.

Boulos said she already has over 1,000 pages of disclosure and has not received 20 CDs of additional evidence. Crown prosecutor Sheldon Steeves said he received those CDs Tuesday.

Tobin, 20, is facing charges of attempted murder, aggravated assault, two counts of assault with a weapon, breach of probation and breach of an undertaking. He allegedly attacked two men with a baseball bat in the Keegan Court area of St. John’s. One man was treated in hospital for serious injuries.

Tobin appeared in court Wednesday by video link from Her Majesty’s Penitentiary.

Boulos entered guilty pleas on her client’s behalf for charges related to incidents from April 12 and June 13. The April 12 matter involves mischief and breaching court orders, while the more recent incident relates to an alleged breach of his bail conditions. The Crown agreed to drop some charges in exchange for the guilty pleas on four charges stemming from those two incidents.

Tobin will appear in person Sept. 5 for facts and sentencing on those matters. As for the attempted murder and aggravated assault charges, Madden agreed to set over that case until Sept. 17 for a status update.

Brandon (a.k.a. Brendon) Christopher Tobin ducks to avoid reporters’ cameras as he is led into Courtroom No. 7 at provincial court in St. John’s. — Photo by Rosie Mullaley/The Telegram